Master plan to cut disaster risks in Dhaka city soon

State Minister for Housing and Public Works Advocate Abdul Mannan Khan today said Disaster Risk Management Master Plan (DRMMP) will be prepared soon for Dhaka city to minimise disaster risks, reports BSS. As Dhaka is at high risk for major earthquake and other disasters including flood, the master plan should be formulated to ensure a meaningful disaster management to minimise losses of life and property, he told a seminar on 'Rationale, Process and Elements of Disaster Risk Master Plan for Dhaka City' in the RAJUK auditorium. Disaster Risk Management Master Plan for Dhaka City will be a tool which enables local governments to systematically implement Disaster Risk Management (DRM) agenda for Dhaka city, Mannan added. Chairman of Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (RAJUK) Engr Md Nurul Huda and Prof Mehedi Ahmed Ansary of Department of Civil Engineering of BUET, among others, addressed the seminar. Chairman of Earthquake and Megacities Initiative (EMI), USA Dr Fouad presented the keynote paper. Mannan said the government is strictly enforcing national building code for ensuring earthquake resistance buildings, which will help to reduce the disaster risk. Detailed Area Plan (DAP) is also being implemented successfully, he said and added the DAP has stopped land grabbing around the Dhaka city. Recently Dhaka has been identified as one of the most vulnerable cities in the world, Engr Huda said adding, "Earthquake and manmade hazards have brought Dhaka under clear threat". The risk has been doubled due to unplanned city development, uncontrolled urbanisation, dense population and lack of proper awareness among city dwellers, he observed. He stressed the need for a wise and practical selection of different elements to prepare an effective Disaster Risk Management Master Plan. Prof Mehedi suggested forming a single common platform for Dhaka city to ensure better coordination among service providing organisations. The platform will bring all services under an umbrella, which will enhance service quality and avoid the risk of disaster management, he added. Other speakers said in the process of preparing the disaster risk management master plan, it is necessary to link up disaster risk management to city's physical and urban development strategies.